Moving House? 10 Tips For Packing A Kitchen

I’m moving house again. It’s the third time in three years. Eurghhh! While part of me loves relocating to a new abode and suburb ready to explore, the packing part, yeah, that sucks!

It takes weeks of preparation and planning, and I don’t know about you, but it’s pretty common for me to find boxes weeks after moving in still unpacked – and some, sadly, never get unpacked. But, after breaking the odd Champagne flute and a few irreplaceable heirloom China pieces, I’ve learned a trick or two – particularly when it comes to packing the kitchen.

Follow these tips and you’ll be cooking with gas in no time!

1. Do a clean out first

We’re all guilty of it – stocking up on food items that seemed like a good deal at the time, but have sat in the kitchen cupboard ever since. I actually have seven boxes of cannelloni tubes staring at me right now, which I nabbed at a very irresistible 50% off! Go through your cupboards, check the expiry date and donate to your local food bank or collection, or if past its best before – throw it out.

2. Get the packing gear sorted (PRO TIP ALERT!)

Make sure you have plenty of boxes, bags, packing tape, bubble wrap, newspaper and labelling gear before you start packing. This goes for any home removal plan, but is especially important for the kitchen, because you will be moving a mixture of heavy, light, fragile and perishable items. No use leaving a half packed kitchen to run to the store for more supplies.

3. Pack the least-used items first

Will you need the slow cooker or the good china between now and moving day? Probably not. Pack it up now and get it out of the way.

4. Use protective packaging for breakables

An easy space saver is to wrap plates, glasses and other breakable items with small items of linen or tea towels. It’s also a good way to prevent you from packing too much heavy gear into one box – and breaking your back trying to lift it. Plus, this way you will get two items packed for the price of one – bonus!

5. Box up the appliances

If you still have the container the blender came in, use it. You knew it would come in handy, didn’t you?! Stick to one machine per box as these tend to be heavy. And any mates you’ve enlisted to help you will be most grateful.

6. Make the most of unused space

When boxing up the appliances, fill the rest of the box with light, easy-to-fit gear like cutlery. If you have any tea towels that haven’t been packed with the breakables, put these inside bowls, pots or containers.

7. Keep “like” items together

In any house removal plan, organisation is key. Keep the pantry items together, the pot cupboard contents close and the cutlery and crockery in separate containers. And those plastics – sort them out! You do not want to be unloading chaos into your new kitchen.

8. Use up food before shifting

You don’t want to throw out food unnecessarily, but you also don’t want to move bags with “just a bit” in the bottom. Use up what you can and save the unopened bags for the new place.

9. Clear out appliances

Leave enough milk in your fridge for moving day if you need to. Otherwise, empty it and clean it out the night before your shift.

10. Pack the everyday items last

You’ll be begging for a coffee, tea or bickie come box #247 on moving house day. Make sure that anything that you use often is readily available right up until you leave – there is nothing worse than checking through boxes on the day of the move for that much needed coffee fix.